SEMINOLE – Mayor Leslie Waters is expanding Seminole's annual citywide food drive. For the past five years, the food drive has begun in September and run in conjunction with the six-week Music in the Park series.

This year, food donations are already being collected for the 2014 drive and Waters plans for it to operate as a yearlong initiative.

“There’s a need 12 months out of the year, not just around the holidays,” she said. “At this time of year, the shelves are pretty bare.”

She hopes to amass 18,739 food items, which amounts to one item per Seminole resident.

“The generosity of the citizens of Seminole has always been appreciated,” said Waters, “but this year we want to step up our efforts with a measurement factor added.”

She added, “What a great way to show city unity, city generosity, city pride – one food item per citizen of Seminole in 2014.”

The food will be donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry, a nondenominational food bank run out of Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 9530 Starkey Road. The pantry has served the Seminole area since the 1980s. Its hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“The goal of the Interfaith Food Pantry is to help provide food for needy families while preserving their sense of dignity,” Waters said.